Means for hanging towels.



R. G. FINLEY.

MEANS PoR HANGING TOWELS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.11, 1912.

Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

INVENTUR .RICHARD G- f'ln-.LEY

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH Cu., WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES FTENT OFFIOE.

RICHARD G. FINLEY, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

MEANS FOR HANGING TOWELS.

To all whom 15 may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD G. FINLEY, citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for HangingTowels, of which the following is a specification,

This invention has reference to means for hanging towels, and theinvention consists in a towel hanger or support which is adapted tocarry or hang one or more flat towels or a single endless roller tow-el,and the hanger is also especially constructed to permit individual useof the towels when more than one is suspended therefrom and embodieslocking means as well as to prevent removal of the towels except byauthorized persons, all substantially as shown and described andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my newand improved hanger engaged in a suitable bracket support. Fig. 2 showsthe said parts with one towel thereon behind the hanger as hereinafterdescribed. Fig. 3 shows an endless or roller towel supported on thehanger. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the immediate hangermechanism enlarged as compared with the foregoing and broken out at themiddle. Fig. 5 is a cross section on line 5 5, looking to the left. Fig.6 is an elevation of the locking keeper for one end of the hanger, andFig. 7 is an inside view of the keeper for the other end. Fig. 8 showsthe engaging lingers for the towels in open relation, while they areclosed in Fig. 5.

The invention as thus shown consists in a convertible towel hanger ordevice adapted to be used with both flat and roller or endless towels atwill and according to local demands or laws.

It is well known that in these days there has come to be a largebusiness done in towel supplies and equipments in factories, work-shops,department and other stores, office buildings and the like, and in someStates the laws now prohibit the use of roller towels in all such publicor semi-public places, for sanitary reasons. Other States, however, havenot yet taken such advanced position and permit the use of rollertowels. I have therefore conceived the idea of a convertible towelsupport or hanger, or one which is especially adapted Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed January 11, 1912.

Patented Aug. 19,1913.

Serial No. 670,543.

to support either or both kinds of towels as may be required orpreferred in any given case. If it be found that roller towels areprohibited the device is employed only for the flat or single-sheettowel, and is adapted to suspend a single towel or one or more( for usesuccessively. That is, as the towel at the front becomes soiled, mydevice permits it to be shifted to the rear of the other or cleantowels, and moreover, all remain secured together so that nounauthorized person may appropriate or carry oli the same, a lock beingprovided for this purpose.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a simple form of support or bracketb for the immediate hanging or carrying device c for the towels. As tothe said bracket, I desire it to be understood that itserves as anillustration of one of possibly many different forms I might adoptrather than an exclusive form with this possible exception, that thesaid bracket is a reproduction, substantially, of the well known andcommon form of bracket now employed by the towel supply trade generallyfor roller towels and which brackets are usually suspend-ed be neat-h acabinet in which the clean towels and other toilet articles are kept,and my invention is adaptable to these well known brackets foreconomical means. It follows, of course, that to adapt my invention tothis bracket it is only necessary to remove th-e usual roller and aflixmy hanger in its place and the change is made. Otherwise, and inequipments which are new throughout, I can employ any other preferredform or style of bracket or supportthough it be radically different fromthe one shown, such as a cabinet having front or end doors with fixed ormovable interiors to expose the towels. Therefore, having a suitablebracket or other support b adapted to receive the immediate towelcarryingl device c, and which for convenience of description, ishereinafter referred to as the hanger, and having the said hanger of alength preferably corresponding to the usual roller or the width of thetowel, it is to be further observed that the said bracket or support inany event should have a free open space between the hanger and the topor body of the said support to permit the soiled towels to be thrownback over the hanger and out ofthe way to afford access to t-he neXtsucceeding towel beneath. This also provides room for placing andremoving the hanger,

which is necessary atV every change of towels. More or less space thanshown herein may be provided, and in new supports especially designedfor this use the space would be less, generally. f

rThe hanger itself is constructed to be detachably locked at its ends inthe two struck up sheet metal keepers or bearings 6 and 7 respectively,of substantially cup shape and which in this instance are fastened inplace on the depending ends ofv the bracket by single screws S throughthe center thereof. They might, however, be adapted to be otherwisefixed in place and be within the invention. The cap or keeper 6 has asegmental slot 9 in its face portion only, to receive one end of thehanger, as in Fig. 1, and the other keeper has a segmental slot 10 thefull depth in its face and flange portions adapted to rec-eive the otherend of the hanger. Each keeper is made in two cupshaped parts sleevedtogether to provide a rotatable support for the hanger C and also tolock the hanger in place. In the case of keeper 7, flange 5 thereof iscut out approximately the width or cross section of hanger C to admitthe end of the hanger, and has a finger projection adapted to rotate thesame. When fiange is rotatably shifted .to engage over the end of thehanger it confines and locks the same in place, see Fig.- 5, but whenretired as in Fig. 6 Vthe hanger is easily removed.

A small padlock P is shown in Fig. 5 connecting projection h and fixedlip 4 of keeper 7,v and hanger C cannot be removed until this padlock isunlocked by key, which presumably is held only by authorized persons.The said hanger is shown as a composite structure comprising twotransversely curved back members 14 and 15, secured together betweentheir ends in any good mechanical way as by lip n, Fig. 4l, and wherebythe outer piece or plate serves as a backing for the inner piece and asa rounded support for a roller towel, Fig. 3. Two springrelated steelstrips 16 and 17 Vare confined at their outer edges within inwardlyturned flanges or edges on the inner back plate 15 and are adapted tosnap into open position as in Fig. 8, or into closed position as in Fig.5, there being conning devices 18 at intervals between the innerportions of said strips adapted to limit their opening movement toaposition more or less as seen in Fig. 8. Each of said strips 16 and 17carries a semi-circular or equivalently shaped stiff finger 20 near eachend adapted to engage and hold towels 22 singly thereon, and eyelets orworked. holes may be formed in the towels at their edges for thispurpose. The towels are thus sleeved on the said fingers, which, whenclosed, form'up-standingv rings adapting the towels to be easily shiftedand reversed front to back, thus re- Vtiring the soiled towels andbringing a clean one to the front. 1n the case of a roller towel 23 thesame is simply hung over the hanger as it would be over a roller, buthan-ger C is first rotated on pivot screws S so that its rounded back141 is uppermost,

substantially as shown diagrammatically in Fig. o. The said semi-ringshaped fingers, prongs or hooks 2O are disposed opposit-ely to eachother in pairs and are adapted not only to match at their points but onefinger is pointed and fits in a cavity or socket in the other finger,thereby effectually closing the fingers on each other and locking thetowels within. The said fingers are thrown open as in Fig. 8, when thestrips 16 and 17 are sprung outward and closed on each other when thesaid strips are pressed inward as in Fig. 5. The action of said stripsis with a spring effect both inward and outward induced by the bow orbend of the spring backing within the edges of which said strips areengaged. The special limiting devices 18 at intervals between saidstrips prevent opening further than as shown in Fig. 8. Apivoted lift211 at one end is adapted to be actuated by the thumb and toy spring thesaid strips outward to open them as, in Fig. 8. They are closed bypressing the fingers 20 together. i

The complete article of manufacture and sale consists primarily in thehanger 0 and its immediate end fastenings or keeper bearings and adaptedto be set up in a bralet or its equivalent as a support for the hanger.Usually however the trade receivesthe complete equipment, including allthat is necessary to provide the consumer with the device in readinessfor use.

A convenient form of hangeris shown but not an exclusive form thereofbecause 1 may change it more or less in all particulars and yet preservethek essentials thereof.

Thusy I may use other means than as shown to drip, clamp or hold thetowels, With or without per-forating them, and the hanger may be mountedon brackets which are movable in respectto a main support, such as ashallow cabinet. Primarily the device is intended to comprise means toremovably secure the ends of single sheet'towelsand may also embodymeans adapted to carry a roller towel, including means to safe-guardremoval of the towels.2 Moreover, the device v.

disposed hooks thereon adapted to meet at their points and confinetowels thereon, in combination with means to hold said body and hooks ininverted position comprising end supports for said body adapted to berotated and means to fasten said supports in either position.

2. A hanger for towels adapted to be bodily inverted and comprising arigid body having a plain smooth rounded outer side portion adapted tohang roller towels upon and spring pressed hook shaped fingers on theother side adapted to come together at their points, in combination withsupports in which the ends of said body are engaged, the said supportsbeing constructed to support the said body With the said fingers aboveor below according as it is arranged for single or roller towels.

3. A hanger having pairs of gripping hooks for towels adapted to openand close on each other, in combination with rotatable cup-shapedbearings at each end in which said hanger is rotatably engaged, saidbear* ings provided with means to lock the same together and thusconfine said hanger.

4. A hanger comprising a rigid body segmental in cross section and meansthereon to suspend towels, in combination with end bearings supportingsaid hanger comprising two substantially cup-shaped members rotatableone within the other and having substantially segmental openings intowhich the ends of said body project, and means to look said cup-shapedmembers together and thus confine said hanger against rotation.

In testimony whereof I afiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD G. FINLEY.

Vitnesses F. C. MUssUN, E. M. FISHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained fol` five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

